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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · calf · scale · game · arm · tear · dip · bass

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bass — the fish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. club — for dancing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — a group
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. club — for golf
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bass — low music
  19. scale — in music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com